


Alliance Roleplay: After thoughts

by MissHyacinths, Wildspyre02



Series: The Clockwork Dynasty [8]
Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, F/M, Implied Relationships, Post-World of Warcraft: Legion, Worgen, World of Warcraft: Legion, nightborne
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:55:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21821794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissHyacinths/pseuds/MissHyacinths, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wildspyre02/pseuds/Wildspyre02
Relationships: Fraidaa Eld/Hiramyr, Hiramyr/Fraidaa Eld, Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Series: The Clockwork Dynasty [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1048946
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1





	1. Darkest before dawn

Hiramyr watched idly with a passive expression as the humans and Worgens cleared the area they’d fondly named “Greywatch” by the shores of Stormheim. He was pleased to see them go, the corruption of the legion seeping deep enough into the land to perhaps scar the earth and soils for years to come- he didn’t want to see what extra damage more tension between the Gilneans and undead could sow. From beside him, the smaller, younger-looking “Vrykul” shuffled, 

“So I know the humans said they’re just leaving a skeleton crew in Hyrdshal and Valdisdall to keep an eye on things- but have you considered the undead might- uh- do that and then some?” Hiramyr cast his eyes down slightly, 

“What do you mean, Xilef?” he asked somewhat shortly, Xilef shrugged, his long dark curls bouncing against his spiked shoulder, 

“I just figured without the Alliance to keep them in check, there isn’t much to stop the Forsaken from establishing more of a foothold in Stormheim”

“And why would they bother doing that?” 

“Because” a feminine voice with an accent curling at the end of her words spoke “the Forsaken are invaders, if you let them they will take your land, your people- everything.” she scowled “this is part of the reason why I’m telling you- having the majority of the alliance forces here move out is a _mistake_ ”

Hiramyr repressed the desire to roll his good eye at his favourite mortal- which didn’t actually mean much in regards to how little he liked the others- and instead settled on a sigh “The Thorignir and Valajar protected this land for thousands of years before you oafs marched your way to our shores, we shall continue to do so thousands of years after you’re gone.”

“Yes, because you all did such a _swell_ job of protecting it from the God-king and his Felskorn lackeys- how many of your kind was captured and killed again?”

“Fraidaa.” he started shortly “Do you want our last conversation to be an argument?”

She huffed in an almost childish way “It wouldn’t need to be our last conversation if you’d let us stay”

“I trust the Alliance just as much as I trust the forsaken- which is not at all. I want you all gone, out of respect for you and what your people did for Odyn I’m asking you politely. The undead are not getting such a luxury” 

Fraidaa crossed her arms, her boot-tapping into the ground suggesting agitation, “Do the rest of your people agree with your ruling?”

“Doesn’t matter. If it troubles them so much they’re welcome to come down here and correct me- until then I’ll take the necessary steps to keep them safe from all outsiders; you included, _smar vaettr”_

The Gilneans cheeks reddened at the insult. Despite being a ‘watered down Vrykul’ as Hiramyr often kindly put it and as such only knowing parts of the language, she knew when burning words were being thrown in her face. Her mouth twitched into a snarl before vanishing as quickly as it arrived “Well Xilef is here. You agree with this?”

Xilef seemed to shrink slightly as yellow and blue eyes seared into him, “I...uh well no-” he admitted, shrinking further as Hiramyr’s glare doubled “b-but I also get it. Hiram’s been here thousands of years, I’ve been ‘ere maybe 20.” he shrugged, trying to shake the gazes off of him, “I figure if he’s wrong I at least get to hit ‘im with an ‘I told you so’”

Hiramyr this time didn’t try to stop the roll of his eye but smirked nonetheless, “See? Is that enough for you Miss Eld?”

Fraidaa frowned and opened her mouth to retort but an ear-piercing shriek echoed off the mountains around them, halting the words in her throat before she could give voice to them. Her eyes narrowed, her skin contorted and face moving as she swiftly shifted into her Worgen form, her icy gaze casting up at a shadow, perhaps as big as the camp in its entirety, the dust and dirt swooping up to follow the air disrupted by the creature. The creature being what looked like a Thorignir, scales shimmering under the afternoon suns glare, but unlike most Thorignir who were often found in shades of blues and purples, this one’s scales seemed to be painted shades of greens and turquoise. Xilef’s brows furrowed, “Alfeidr?”

Fraidaa’s eyes narrowed further, “Archers-”

“The first person to shoot loses their arms” Hiram spoke almost casually, dismissing the group with a lazy wave of his arm, Fraida shifted her glare from the sky to Hiram,

“It’s _green_ ”

“It always warms my heart when you state the obvious to make sure we’re all on the same page, Miss Eld” 

Fraidaa ignored the quip “It’s a fel-infested dragon. You want a traitor roaming around?”

“You stated yourself earlier that many of my kind were captured- many of them were twisted to the legions ideals, they didn’t get a choice in the matter. I will decide if such cases are too far gone, not you or your trigger happy allies” 

The Worgen watches the dragonkin a moment longer before sighing and shifting back into her human form, an expression one could consider guilt touching her face, “No, you’re right. I apologise.” she sighs again but deeper this time, “I kind of get it, the Worgen curse felt similar to that to start with- I imagine it’s not the 'same-same' but kinda the same-”

“Miss Eld?” a new voice from a small albino woman interrupted “we’re ready to go”

“O-oh right.” she coughed “Well I’m rambling and I also need to go so-” she breathed deeply, composing herself and bringing her serious expression back over her face “Maybe I’ll see you both soon?”

Hiram offered a small smile “We’ll see. Goodbye Fraidaa.” 

“Later, Fraidaa. Come visit!” Xilef spoke loudly as the Alliance group retreated away before sighing “Are you going to go check where Alfeidr flew off too?”

“I am” 

“Look, Hiram. I know you want to keep all Thorignir safe from the big mean outsiders but I think this case may be...different.” he lowered his voice a touch as if afraid someone might have been listening “Alfeidr wasn’t a bad lady before the Felskorn got ‘er but she hunted and killed titans knows how many of us.”

“What part of ‘they didn’t get a choice in the matter’ confuses you, Xilef?”

“Well I’m just saying that I’d sooner chew through my wing than be anybody’s slave, you know?”

“It’s very easy to say that outside of the chains” Hiram spoke gently, pointing to the broken chain attached to his beard “Do you think Skorn is the first power-addled idiot to try take over Stormheim? No, there is a new ‘God-king’ every century or so. Give it another few and maybe you’ll find yourself in chains and then maybe you’ll understand, son. Until then, I will decide when one of our kind is too far gone” 

Xilef huffed tiredly “Hiram, if I ever end up in chains, just do me a solid and kill me” 

“No promises” he spoke as the pair watched Alfeidr’s shadow disappear behind a mountain. “We’ll speak later- unless you want to join me?”

“No, no. You’ve got this one” Xilef smiled crookedly “Speak to you later- assuming she doesn’t kill and eat you”

Hiram gave a pointed look “I’ll be fine, son. Go make yourself useful and trail the Alliance forces, see they stick to their promise” and with that, he turned, his humanoid form vanishing- replaced by his true form, his wings stretched, spanning over the landmass before he used the air to drive himself from the ground taking to the mountains Alfeidr had disappeared behind. 

Hiramyr was well aware his presence was going to be anticipated. He was a large drake, only a touch smaller than Nithogg had been, as such every living being and probably some of the dead had noticed him. Scanning the environment carefully, he spotted a small cave in the mountains- far too big for any dragonkin in their true form, just about the right size for their humanoid one. He curled his wings to his body, allowing gravity to take him just until the cave opening was a breath away then he shifted to his humanoid form, landing in the cave with a grunt. Pushing up from his knees and cursing the age he was beginning to feel in his joints he moved a step further into the dim cave. 

“I understand if you’re here to kill me” the tiredness the voice oozed made Hiramyr’s bones ache, he cast his gaze to the Vrykul looking woman in the corner of the room, her fel green eyes and tattoos illuminating her position, the light of them hugging- or suffocating as the case may be- her form. Hiramyr approached without restraint, 

“I’m not” he knew he was capable in his humanoid form, he’d always enjoyed brawling and it’d been hard to do that with giant dragon hands, as such he’d spent enough time training in his weaker form to know he’d survive even if she went for him. Something told him she wasn’t going to go for him. “It’s been a while, Alfeidr” 

“It has” she confirmed, shifting away slightly as Hiramyr sat next to her. “If I’d known where I’d end up last time we spoke I would have-”

“I know” Hiramyr stopped her, she grit her teeth and sucked in air as though she was in pain, 

"I cannot atone for what I have done, and will not ask your forgiveness"

Hiramyr waited a moment before talking “...but?”

“You think there is a ‘but’ to this?” she laughed dryly, there was no humour behind it. Hiram expected she made the sound to stop herself from crying, “how many of our friends did I kill while under the legion?” 

“You weren’t yourself, the others will come to understand that in time”

“Will they?” she ran a hand idly over her flesh, fingers lingering on the tattoos, “My scars, my tattoos- I feel like my actions are written across my skin. _Everyone can see them_ ” her soft touch turned into a tight grip, her knees drawing closer to herself- “I want to do better, I want to atone but I can’t see it. I can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel where this all turns out okay.” she lets out a shuddered breath “I don’t think it’s going to be okay” 

Hiramyr had a multitude of words he felt he could say, ‘If you’re still here it’s because the Titans put you on this path. You’re just following your destiny.’ perhaps, ‘The strong survive, the weak perish, nothing you did would have changed that.’ or ‘Are there truly any of us left that haven’t hurt people while enslaved under some over-zealous idiots’. They all felt fake, cruel, unhelpful. As such he simply opened his arms to her. She looked at him like he’d grown a second head, he knew she wouldn’t take the embrace without prompting so slowly- ever so slowly- he moved his arms around her corrupt form and held her tenderly. It took a moment but equally slowly she moved her arms to grip onto his purple cloak. “I’m very tired, Hiram” she confessed quietly against the fabric, 

“Try to sleep then, _systir._ Perhaps everything will feel a little better when you awake”

  
  
  



	2. Bereavement

“You lying _asshole_ ” 

Fraidaa’s anger was sharp, painfully and surprisingly so. Hiramyr had been used to her softer anger, the kind that simmered and prodded for a little while before dissipating once an understanding was reached. This was not that. It was an anger that seemed to pull her curse right of her, her teeth sharpening and clawing lengthening, she seemed to keep her human form intact- but only just. He kept his expression unphased,

“I didn’t lie, _smar vaettr*”_ he snapped, 

“You allowed the forsaken to wipe out our skeleton crew and then proceeded to let them set up in the old warden towers-”

“And I never said I wouldn’t allow them to do such a thing. Explain to me where I lied, Miss Eld” 

She all but snarled at him, her transformation becoming more aggressive “The least you could have done is warn us that our people were being _slaughtered_ and needed back up”

“And risk you bringing your armies back to our shores and starting a war that gets my kind killed? No, I don’t think so”

“You walking sack of shit- your kind would be dead if it wasn’t for alliance intervention. And you do nothing to aid us in return. You talk us into moving the majority of our forces out of Stormheim, you refuse to alert us when those left behind need aid and you don’t even have to decency to help me retake the warden towers.” 

“If the Forsaken see any of the Thorignir aid you against them they will consider us the enemy and attack us by extension- my kind has been through enough-”

“Then kill them all and remove that danger entirely” Fraidaa chokes through her frustration, her now complete Worgen form allowing her enough height to jab his chest accusingly “or are you too much of a damned coward to do so.”

“Bavery has nothing to do with it, your hatred has suffocated your common sense to the point of idiocy.”

“ _Wyrgn ak*!”_ she snarls at him and spits at his feet, his anger flares at the insult, 

“Spit at me again girl and you’ll be fighting the undead with broken hands” 

Both Quendolin and Xilef who had been observing the pair nervous shrunk back slightly as the exchange began to get more heated, Quen didn’t know what the insult meant but she did know that Fraidaa was stubborn enough to spit at him again if it meant she got the last word. Xilef seemed to sense this too as he put his arms around on Hiramyr's as if in preparation to restrain him, 

“Woah, come on. Let’s not-” Xilef tried to start before Fraidaa’s piercing stare shifted to him, 

“I don’t want to hear a damned word out of you either, _Svikr*”_ she snarled, her clawed hands balling into a fist, “you didn’t think to say a thing either and now you sit and hide in Hiramyr’s shadow- _Vesall_ ” 

Quendolin wished she understood those words, then maybe she’d understand why Xilef seemed to almost shrink in on himself and Hiramyr’s anger seemed to quadruple, “You have no right to talk to him like that-”

“If my words frighten you imagine how you’re going to feel when I shove my spear-”

“Fraidaa.” Quendolin spoke gently, Fraidaa’s anger almost immediately damping for a moment as she turns to her friend, “Don’t. Please” 

Fraidaa’s hand tensed and untensed a few times before she growled dismissively, turned her back to the storm drakes and unwedged her spear from where it’d previously been jabbed into the ground, “Forget it. If you want something done, you have to do it yourself” she puts the weapon on her back- 

Quendolin blinks and goes to follow but Fraidaa bares her teeth at her, “Stay.”

“B-but Fraidaa-”

“I said,” she says sharper this time, “stay.”

Quendolin felt herself almost freeze to her spot at the tone, she briefly registered Fraidaa ordering Vincent to stay as well before she sprints off on all fours, it took a few minutes to remember how to move again- 

“She’s going to get herself killed” she whispers, she turns and grabs at Hiramyr’s arm “you need to go after her- you need too-”

“Survival of the fittest” Hiramyr interrupts, “if she dies it’ll be due to her short-sighted planning and temper-”

“You don’t mean that.” Quen insists, “ you care about her as much as she does about you-”

“She doesn’t give a damn-”

“ _Yes, she does_. That’s why she’s so upset. She gives too _much_ of a damn” Quendolin gave his a desperate look, he sighs shortly, 

“Of course I care, but I explained I’m not getting involved-”

“We should help her.” Xilef spoke up quietly “the Forsaken are invaders, she’s trying to protect us as much as her own people and we-” his breath hitched “we _betrayed_ her” 

Hiramyr watched him a moment, “Son-”

“I mean it, Hiram” he huffs “I don’t trust the dead- they’ve pushed further into our lands and we did nothing to uphold peace when men were slaughtered, we can’t let them take Fraidaa too” 

The older drake sighed deeply “I wish you’d have said all this before she got pissed off”

Xilef shrugged timidly “I thought you’d be mad…” 

Hiramyr sighed and grumbled slightly before shifting into his dragon form…

  
  


-

  
  


Fraidaa felt so single sighted when she was angry like she had one objective and nothing else mattered. In this case, her goal was simple. _Kill them all_. Her body obeyed easily- at some point in her rage she’d forgone her weapon- using her teeth and claws- it felt better- more natural. The Forsaken hadn’t been expecting her, she’d used her crazed and angry speed to knock down multiple groups of them- working her way to the tower itself, she wanted their commander’s head, to render it from their body in front of all their underlings. She climbs the steps- slaughtering any stupid enough to stop her on the stairwell, she reached the top only to have an elbow make harsh contact into her face. She managed to angle her so she didn’t fall back the way she came and rolled towards the edge of the building, propping up on her hands and feet, the undead that struck her sneered, 

“I was wondering how long it was going to be before one of you wild mutts found the courage to try to take the tower back- surprised it is just one of you. I thought you lot had to rely on groups-” 

Fraidaa bared her teeth- “Eat shit and die” she charged without waiting for a remark- her claws swinging once and then twice, the undead managing to block one and dodge the other, apparently the commander was more skilled than their troops. The commander swung- hard, rounding their whole body to slam their weapon against Fraidaa’s arm that was brought up just fast enough to block, the blade sinking into the flesh there. In her rage, Fraidaa found herself gripping the hand that held the weapon, digging it further into her skin, she ignored the pain as she threw her head forward, sinking her teeth into the base of the Forsaken's neck inducing a scream- 

The pair tumbling back, falling and landing in such a way that left Fraidaa’s head hanging back over the ledge, the forsaken yanked her teeth off of them and screamed- “Shoot, now! Do it!” vaguely registering the words, Fraidaa shifted her eyes to see multiple of the harpoon launchers stationed around the tower now aiming at them, she desperately pushed to try to free herself but the forsaken, drunk on adrenaline, held her down. She pushed again, more desperate this time, the result was the same. The undead sneered, “They’ll be able to bring me back” they wheezed “you, however, they’ll be no putting you back toge-” 

**CRASH!**

The roar of thunder interrupted the taunt, as the rain erupted down upon them, one of the harpoons fired with a remarkable aim towards her head. Suddenly, just before it goes to make an impact, an enormous storm drake charged between her and the weapon, the harpoon burying into its side invoking a pained screech. It lands beside the tower, using the structure to lean against as it’s large head appears beside the wrestling pair, it grabs the undead in its mouth with ease and flings it almost casually towards the sea, watching it skip like a stone against the surface- bits of their body coming off with each impact. The dragon looks at Fraidaa then, it’s damaged eye giving away it’s identity- 

_Hiramyr._

He came back for her.

He nudges her almost gently so she’s back up on the tower properly without risk of falling, she looks at him fully and feels herself slipping into her humanoid form as her rage subsides, “Hir-” another harpoon flings towards them, this one catching Hiramyr in the leg. He roars, breathing his lightning down upon the Forsaken before grabbing Fraidaa in his claws and taking to the sky. One more harpoon flies toward them, this one scraping his back as they escape. It’s not until ten or eleven beats of his wings until she realises how badly hurt he is, dipping lower and lower with each one. 

“Hiram, we’re going to crash-” He doesn’t respond, he just dips lower, “Hiramyr!” as the ground comes closer Fraidaa makes the split-second decision to free herself from his claws and fall into the ocean below her, it was just about deep enough for her not hurt herself. As she swims to the surface she watches Hiramyr crash into the shore with enough force to pull the harpoons stuck in his side and leg out. 

Trying to ignore the throbbing she was beginning to feel in her arm and parts of her leg, Fraidaa swam to the shore to check on her dragon companion, he’d shifted into his humanoid form as he landed, probably so it would be easier for her to check him-

“Hiramyr” she calls to him, falling to his side, “I-I didn’t-”

“Cave” he groans and vaguely gestures up the shore, the rain was heavy and they needed shelter in case a party came looking for them, she nods in understanding, moving behind him and hooking her arms under his armpits and going to pull him, she represses a gasp of pain at the sudden pressure on her arm injury. She had to pull him- if he tried to walk he was liable to lose some of his organs- he was lucky the harpoon hadn’t already disemboweled him- it was borderline a miracle the crash didn’t push that luck. Ignoring her pain for just a moment, she managed to pull him a short way, finding the cave and heaving him inside. She then went for her pack- pulling out a flare gun- 

Giving away their position was risky but Hiramyr would die without medical aid, aiming the gun to the sky she watched the light fly up through the rain and hover a short way before it was put out- well she was going to have to hope that was enough. The cave entrance was wide but low- meaning unless someone knew it was there it would be easy to miss, moving back over to Hiramyr, Fraidaa pulled her cloak from her pack and pressed it against the largest wound on his side, she then shifted the rest of the pack under his head as a makeshift pillow.

“Still with me?” she asked gently, the hand that wasn’t holding the cloak moving to clean a few specks of blood off his face, 

He groaned at her, “Barely” he opened his good eye to regard her, his breath labored “Are you okay?”

She was becoming more hyper-aware of the aches and pains in her body as her adrenaline settled but in comparison to him she’d got off easy “Yeah, I’m okay. Just a little sore” 

He grunted in acknowledgment, “you should wrap that arm- if it gets infected you might lose it.” 

“Let me do you first-”

“No, no. I have this, no doubt very expensive, cloak to keep me from bleeding out” he sucked in the air a tad aggressively “besides you’re smaller- you’ll bleed out quicker” the end of the sentence was punctuated by a wince that had Fraidaa frowning. 

“We’ll take turns then.” she compromised “Your leg, then my arm-” she wouldn’t promise anything beyond that because she had a feeling she didn’t have enough bandages to cover more than that.

“That is reasonable” he accepted shortly and allowed Fraidaa to wrap his leg as Quendolin had shown her before. She completed the task in silence before repeating the action on her arm- just about managing to cover it before she ran out of bandages. Only after this task did she register how cold she was, the water from the sea still sticking to her clothes and skin, letting Hiramyr rest his eyes a minute, she quickly checks her bag for the items to start a fire- she has just about enough to start a small one. Three cracks of her flint and steel set the small pile of wood and grass ablaze, she nods at her handy work before stripping from her wet clothes-

“If you’re going to striptease for me, at least go a little slower-”

Fraidaa cast him a pointed look over her shoulder, Gilnean underwear wasn’t exactly sexy- it was probably closer to shorts and a sleeveless vest than actual undergarments. She huffed at him “Be quiet, Hiram” she gathers up her clothes and lays them out a safe distance from the fire before grabbing her water pouch and swilling the liquid around her mouth then spitting it out just outside the cave entrance, she had regrets in biting the undead. Her mouth felt dirty and the idea of their stale blood tainting her mouth and teeth- she repressed the urge to be sick. 

“Hope you didn’t put your mouth on that” Hiramyr comments, “else I’m never sharing a drink with you again, I know where that mouth of yours has been.” 

“Excuse you” she started with no real malice, “If I recall _you_ picked the undead with _your_ mouth to throw them.”

He looked at her a moment before giving a weak shrug, “Fair point.” 

She huffed at him before retaking her place at his side, reapplying pressure to his wound to give his arm a break, 

“ _Þökk*”_ he offers quietly to which Fraidaa smiles, 

“It’s okay.” 

_‘Thank him_ ’, her cognitive orders her loudly. _‘He saved your life_ ’ 

“I…” she starts, her pride and stubbornness make the sentence hard to finish, “Why did you come back for me?” it wasn’t what she intended to say but she was curious nonetheless, “I thought you were furious with me”

“I was” Hiramyr starts quietly “Helheim- I still am”

“So why-”

“Because you’re my friend, you stubborn oaf, and I care about you.” he sighs deeply “I care about you and so do the others. So maybe think about that the next time you want your temper tantrum to be a suicide mission.” 

The Gilnean woman was surprised by the sudden water springing to her eyes, “I’m...I’m sorry” Hiramyr’s expression almost immediately softened and he slowly moved to cup her face with his large hand and use his thumb to carefully push away the tears threatening to escape. “It’s alright,” he assured, “I forgive you, the others will too” 

“Even Xilef?”

“Especially Xilef.”

She sighed “I didn’t mean what I said to him- or you” 

“I know. You were frustrated” he huffs, “I know I can be frustrating, Fraidaa. I’m not trying to make you feel suffocated or patronised-”

“You don’t me feel those things.” the words came surprisingly easy and as such, she tried to press on with them, “You make me feel safe.” the smile he gave her then did something to her heart that she hadn’t felt in a long time, 

“In that case, “he starts carefully, “I hope the injury does let me live past sunrise.”

“You- you’ll be fine” she tried carefully although she wasn’t convinced “I promise” 

“I’ll hold you to that”

“Please do” she smiles at him, leaning down to press her lips to his forehead in a chaste kiss, as she leaned back he returned her smile in full, 

“You’re cold, Fraidaa” he observed “Come lean against my good side until you warm up a bit” 

She complied without argument, letting his hand take the cloak back and shifting over to his good side to press against him, laying a hand and head against his chest as he curled his own arm around her waist. They stayed like this for a long while, idly watching the rain through the cave entrance. At some point, Fraidaa must have dozed off, because when she awoke it was light outside and the rain had stopped. Pushing herself up slowly, she looks over to Hiramyr; his skin his pale and upon first glance it looks as though he wasn't breathing- panic takes her and she grabs his shoulder harshly and shakes, “Hiramyr?!” she calls to him invoking a groan-

“What?” he groans to which she sighs with relief,

“Sorry, you looked like you weren’t breathing”

“If your first response to the deathly injured is to shake them it's no wonder Miss Shayde is the medic and not you” 

She huffed “Good to know that harpoon didn’t do anything to your unending sarcasm and wit.” 

“Perish the thought”

She quickly stood and dressed in her mostly dry armour, leaving the metals shoulders and breastplate off, she looked at Hiram as she pulled on her boots, “Will you be okay if I go find the others?”

“It’s not like I could get much worse.” 

She’d have to take that as she quickly looked for her weapon- before cursing and realising she’d dropped it at the Warden tower, her small hunting knife would have to do if she ran into anything., “I’ll be back as soon as I can” and with that, she jogged out the cave trying to ignore the aches and pains that seemed to worsen with each step. 

She’d just about made it off the shore up to the grasses of Stormheim when she was all but knocked backward by a large beast of some description, she sighed as she recognised the stink of her mastiff; Vincent. 

“Vince” she sighed with relief “Should have known you’d find me before I found you” 

The dog barked in agreement before pulling back to reveal his companions. Xilef and Quendolin were at her side, pulling her to her feet almost instantly, beside them was a Night elf with green hair and a white dress, she recognised her as the Priestess Heather Lightwing, whom she and Quendolin had first met after they fled Gilneas. They must have flown over to Dalaran or Val’sharah to get her…

“I’m okay” Fraidaa confirmed before they could even ask, “But Hiram got caught with a harpoon, Vincent should be able to catch his scent easy- Quen, Heather follow him down to the shore I’ll catch up- in a minute” they obeyed, Vincent getting to work to hunt down their Storm drake, Fraidaa had no doubt he’d find him quickly. 

Not realising how exhausted her limbs were, her leg damn near gives out from underneath her, Xilef catches her arm and helps her to the ground slowly, “Xilef-” she starts “I didn’t mean it-”

“It’s okay” he smiles somewhat crookedly “I deserved it”

“No you didn’t” she argues “I was upset and I took my anger out on you, it wasn’t right and I didn’t mean a word of it- please forgive me” 

He smiles at her, a little less awkwardly, putting his arms around her form and pulling her against him for a hug, she grunted slightly at the contact before curling her arms around him in return and mimicking the gesture. 

“I forgive you” he confirmed “I hope you can forgive me too”

“There is nothing to forgive” she offered gently. They held the embrace for a moment longer than needed before they both pull back, 

“We should find Hiram and the others” Xilef suggests, “He’s an awful patient- me and Avi learned the hard way”

Fraidaa chuckled slightly, “He’s in a cave a short way from here, come on.” 

  
  


* * *

Translation from Vrykul

*Small thing

*Sniveling pig

*Traitor

*Pathetic

*Thanks


	3. Outside sources

Larandia stepped aboard her boat. She was tired. She hated being on land the best of times; when she had a nagging space goat following her? Hell. Actual hell. The Draenei and her druid pet's reactions had been amusing at least, her response to her declaration to Azshara was expected, but still funny. She also got some gold out of it too, and she got to see the little Draenei beg.

A win at the end of the day.

As she retreated to her quarters, she allowed her disguise to drop. Two arms became four, green hair stretching into tentacles and gills. Ahhh this was better. She curled onto her chair, throwing her tail over the arm of the seat and beginning to plan out how she going to get ahold of the Draenai's soon to be contacts. Work always put her in a better mood. She might even go for a swim after. She grinned,

"I love my job" she chuckles aloud.

* * *

"You're paying her hov much?!" Aelradine gasps over her drink in the bar, "you know how much pussy I could buy with zhat? A lot!"

Taeghan sighed "you whorink yourself will not get us any closer to findink Maddie's mozer"

"Ze point of whoring myzelf is to get stuffed, not to find zomeones lozt parent. I use other toolz for zhat"

"Pleaze, do not enlighten me"

Aelradine grins and rolls her eyes playfully "Jealouz?"

"You vish!

Acanthria laughs lazily over her own cup, watching the two evenly, Taeghan shoots her a look "Itz nut funny!"

she shrugs "Kinda' is"

Taeghan grunts in frustration. Today had been garbage enough as it was, dealing with that strange rogue and her smart mouth. She sighed. Aelradine bats her eyelashes at her "Awh, it'z okay baby. I'll call in a few favourz and get uz another ztep closer to finding Maddie's mother. Would that make you happier?"

"Sure" the reply was rather empty but Aelradine would take it.

"Perk up, babe" the lightforged grinned "By the time I'm finished, you'll be begging to eat my-"

* * *

Aelradine rubbed the shoulder that had been viciously assaulted by Taeghans elbow and laughed heartily. She didn't mind. She knew Taeghan loved her really. Approaching Suramar with her hood up over her horns, she breathed in the sweet smell of mana and arcwine, if she was quick she could get into the estate she needed without being noticed and getting her ass kicked. Damn the alliance and horde war and it getting between her and all this sweet, sweet nightborne ass. Least she knew there was one household that likely wouldn't kill her on sight. Either way, Aelradine never said no to a little pain.

She sprinted in, her hooves slightly louder against the stone path than she would have liked. Head down, hooves forward, she moved as quick as she could until the house came into view. The Ailelumi estate.

She knocked on the door, hoping for a quick answer. She received one, she recognised the doorman.

"Adrius. Hey, babe. Iz Ervine or Hae'lynn in?"

Adrius blinked in surprise, "Aelradine, this is- you really shouldn't-"

"Yeah, I know but you nightborne are just so loveable I just can't keep away." she grinned "zo can I come in?"

"Adrius? What is the problem."

Aelradine's grin widened. Ah, there he was, the man of the house. Ervine Ailelumi.

"Ervine, baby" Aelradine cooed "You're looking az panty dropping az ever. Iz your wife in? I hope zo"

Ervine huffed in minor amusement, "Aelradine, you are so desperate for our entertainment you charged into enemy territory for it?"

The lightforged chuckles "You've fucked your wife before, you know that pussy is worth charging at least two enemy zones for"

Adrius coughs awkwardly "I assume you'll handle this, sir?"

"That I will" Ervine confirms which prompts the doorman to leave quickly, "Come in"

Aelradine did as she was bid, jogging in after the taller man and latching onto his arm, "zoooo how's Hae-Hae?"

"She is well. She just had a baby actually"

"Aww, Ervine congratulationz!"

"Thank you"

"Zhey gotta name?"

"Fleur"

"Zo cute!"

Ervine nodded in agreement, leading the Draenei to his office, "in here please". Once in the safety of the office, the nightborne turned to his guest, "I assume this isn't just a social call?"

Aelradine smiles at him "zo perceptive. No, I'm looking for zomeone, an undead."

"I see. Any defining features?"

"uhhh, maybe? zhey're guesses."

Ervine perches behind his desk, "Tell me"

"ugh" she thinks back on what Taeghan and Arcanthria mentioned at the bar, "Rotten, replaced parts, raized in Tirifal glades, probably a forsaken second name; not a human one..." well shit, that was all she could remember,

"Why are you after this person?" Ervine inquired after a moment of silent thought,

"Her daughter is looking for her" the woman explained "tanned girl, early twenties, born in kul'tirus"

"I see" a pause "I know someone who fits the description but then agian...there are lots of undead that fit that description"

"You zee why we're struggling?"

"I do" he jots something down on a piece of paper "I shall find out what I can for you"

"You're a zaint, Ervine" she grins, "zince I came all this way, what say you, me and Hae'lynn ztart a faction war...in the bedroom~"

Ervine sighs and checks the time, standing he huffs, "I have nothing better to do, Hae'lynn will be in the medical bay"

"Yes!" Aelradine gushes excitedly "Come on, I've got some leylines to check~"


	4. Tactiturn

Hiramyr came to Fraidaa’s home on the outskirts of Duskwood the evening he promised he would, knocking at the door and patiently waiting for it to open. It opened after about 2 minutes to Fraidaa in a casual but nice outfit, she smiled, 

“Hi”

Hiramyr smirked at her “You look nice.”

She blushed ever so slightly “Thank you, Quen said I should put in some effort.” she pouted “speaking of which you could have come to me  _ after  _ she left”

“I apologise- I didn’t realise we were so desperate to be secretive” he was hurt by that. She could tell by the narrowing of his eyes and it immediately made her feel guilty, 

“It’s not-” she huffed “I’m not embarrassed by you if that’s what you’re worried about- it’s just…” she sighed “let me do a few shots before I get into it please”

His expression relaxed and he shrugged, “Alright, shall we?”

She allowed her smile back and nodded as he stepped into a space and transformed into his large dragon form, he lowered his wing for her but instead of immediately getting onto she moved to his face, holding his large dragonic face in her hands, pulling it down to her level and kissing his nose. He huffed at her, his voice deeper in this form, 

“You must have felt bad for that secrecy comment” 

“Maybe a little” she hummed stroking his chin gently, he let out a noise akin to a purr, 

“Get on, _ kærr.  _ My good whiskey isn’t going to drink itself”

Fraidaa chuckled as she mounted him, “You’re good whiskey, huh?”

“Don’t get used to it” he huffed as he took off into the blue skies above the dim trees of Duskwood. Fraidaa wasn’t as bothered by flying with him as she once was, she was very much a feet on the ground kind of lady but after a certain amount of time flying with Hiramyr it felt almost...romantic? He was careful and considerate with how he flew when she was with him, a direct contrast to say Xilef who was fast, energetic and had accidently almost bumped Fraidaa straight off him on more than one occasion. As she mused, Fraidaa relaxed against Hiram’s back and sighed as the wind blew through her hair, after a short flight he stopped on a grassy hill somewhere above Elwynn. There was a small picnic blanket, whiskey in a bucket of ice and two tumbler glasses. As Hiram landed and shifted back to his Vrykul form Fraidaa found herself smiling-

“Wow.” she huffed, the amusement in her tone palpable “this is uncharacteristically romantic-” she was cut off by Hiramyr grabbing her face and pressing his mouth to hers in a passionate but chaste kiss, he pulled back and smirked at her bewildered expression, 

“I’ve been waiting to kiss you for days now” he hummed softly before perching on the blanket, Fraidaa blinked through her surprise and perched down next to him,

“Who are you and what have you done with Hiramyr?”

He chuckled at that, “Still me, I promise. I’m just in a good mood.”

“Huh, well that’s unheard of” she accepts the filled glass from him as he pours them a drink, she sips it testingly enjoying the light burn to her mouth “you started pre-drinks before you came got me, didn’t you?”

“Guilty as charged” he pours a generous amount in his own glass and downs it with ease before immediately filling it again but this time drinking it sparingly, “Come here, Fraidaa” he opens an arm to her and she settles into his side as he curls it around her. “Tell me about your week,  _ ást”  _

“You’re drunk” Fraidaa clicks her tongue playfully, 

“Tipsy” he corrects, “It takes more than two bottle and one glass to get me drunk-”

“You had two bottles before I got here?!”

“Maybe three” he laughs at her worried expression “Don’t worry, I am dragonkin, alcohol doesn’t affect me as badly as it does with you little creatures” He could see the honesty in his words as she emptied her glass and went onto her second, she smiled “Fair enough”

They engage in idle conversation for a few hours as Fraidaa feels the alcohol working through her bloodstream she leans up closer to Hiram, “I’m not embarrassed by you” she offers rather randomly, “I’m just...used to secrecy- in the beginning of relationships anyway.”

If the sudden derail in conversation bothered him he didn’t show it, “Why?”

“Well I-” she sighed trying to gather her tispy wits and form an understandable sentence, “well I never found myself attracted to well, anything for most of my teenage years, when I hit nineteen I just decided to suck it up and try fooling around with someone- see if, I don’t know, something clicked into place, you know?”

“Did it work?”

She almost laughed “No, made it worse actually. I decided to roll around with one of my brothers friends and, uh it wasn’t great. He seemed to like it but I- I left the experience feeling dissatisfied.” she continued “I confided in a friend at the time and she said some guys just aren’t great at it and maybe try someone else. I tried a couple more guys my age- it didn’t change anything, I just assumed my sex drive was broke and that was that.” 

Hiramyr chuckled lightly “You can understand why that last sentence is a little funny from where I’m sitting- knowing how increditbly intact your sex drive is-” he smirked at her flushed expression “but that still doesn’t explain your secrecy problem”

“I’m getting there!” she huffed “anyway when I was about twenty when I had some kind of like- I don’t know awakening. I was in the cathedral, you know praying to the light for the usual- long life, protect my family- when someone cleared their throat and asks if they can ask the Light for anything for me.” she takes another shot, “I just turn and something clicks as I look at the priest who approached me, middle age, light brown hair greying in certain lights, those eyes wrinkles like the ones you have-” she almost damned near pokes his eye out for emphasis “fit too, strong arms, slim middle and he was just about the most handsome thing I’d seen in my twenty years of existance; Brother Archard Wyther. Light, I’d never  _ wanted _ someone before, but when I did I wanted it  _ bad _ .I don’t even know when it happened after that but I ended up propositioning him and he ended up accepting and well- it was good. We did a lot of things together and it was…”she blushed “It was really nice.”

Hiramyr waited a moment for her to continue “...but…?”

She sighed, “But my brother found out and threatened to tell our parents. I understood how the situation would look to anyone else- they’d assume he was abusing his power to fuck a younger woman, he’d be removed from his position. He helped awaken something in me- I didn’t want to punish him for that so we agreed not to see eachother again...I always did wonder if he made it out of Gilneas…” she blinked and shook her head dismissively “Anyway, I had realised I could be attracted to people but I still didn’t find interest in younger men- about a year later I met Lord Vincent Godfrey,” she sighed “he was...older than Archard, maybe by a decade or so- he was cruel, patronising and short-tempered...but he could also be sweet, considerate and- I fell hard” her glass was now empty and she’d taken to fiddling with it idly, “When the other nobles found out they assumed I was doing it for gold and prestige, they assumed he was allowing it because I was a ‘young piece’ and it made him look good. I loved him and he loved me. We knew this but this stigma that was attached to our relationship was sometimes so suffocating- if we argued our insults and insecurities would always send us right back to ‘what if they’re right?’” she looked at him fully before resting her head on the crook of his neck, “I don’t want that with you. I don’t want people to judge you- to judge us. I don’t want people to be able to tell you that I could never just want you for you because your older, that there must be some ulterior motive. Because there isn’t. I don’t want people to tell me you- you only like me because I’m young and pretty and when I’m out of my prime you’ll cast me aside for someone younger. Does...does that make sense?”

To her surprise, he laughed, “Fraidaa,” he started fondly “I’m an immortal dragon that controls storms- the politics and gossip of mortals is beneath me and by extension our relationship. I trust you want me- I’ve seen how you basically eye-fuck me when you think no-one’s looking-” he chuckled at her batting hands and gently took her wrist into his hand, “and I don’t have any intention to replace you when your hair begins to grey.” he uses her wrist to pull her closer and kiss her chastely “we can keep our relationship quiet for now if that’s what you want, but I’m not going to let what others say effect us- do you understand?”

She sniffed slightly and nodded, rising to her knees to put her arms around his neck and hug him tightly “I’d like to keep it quiet, for now at least. Being open with people isn’t something I’m accustomed to yet” 

“I can see that” he hums, cupping her ass with his hands and pulling her closer to him, “I can be patient, we take this at your pace”

She smiled enjoying his warmth, “Thank you.” 

They stayed like that a touch longer before Hiramyr shifted, “It’s getting late, did you want me to drop you home?”

“Sure” Fraidaa agrees a little reluctantly, she didn’t really want him to leave just yet… “you could come in for a little bit, you know if you wanted to.”

“If I’m not intruding”

“You wouldn’t be, I was enjoying your presence” 

He laughed slightly “If I ever befriend a bronze drake I’m having them send me back in time to when we first met and telling past Fraidaa about how much you claim to enjoy me now”

Fraidaa huffed “Then past me would probably deny that fact and stubbornly avoid all versions of you for all eternity”

He laughed again, before kissing her temple and transforming into his dragon form, 

“Are you sober enough to fly?” Fraidaa asks cautiously as she gets on, 

“I am” he promises, “I don’t know if you are though, I’ll be careful but hold on”

They make the journey back to her house carefully and luckily no-one crashes or falls off before Hiramyr can touch down and transform back outside of the smaller woman's house. He’s practically pulled through the door by his tipsy partner, he smiles as she takes a moment to wrap up in his arms, “Miss Eld, you are  inebriated” 

“Yeah” she hums, “Put me to bed?”

He smirks at her before lifting her into his arms and carrying her up to her room, placing her down onto the simple double bed there- “Get in” she whines pulling at his arm as he goes to move back, he sighs playfully and gets into the bed beside her, 

“Can’t say I’ve ever actually slept in a bed before” he muses as she curls into his side, 

“That’s kind of sad”

“Not really, I’m a drake- I can sleep on the floor fine same as a dog or cat can.”

She giggles slightly “Like a scaley cat”

“Take that back”

“Dragon kitty”

“Be quiet”

They talked- or ‘argued’ idly for a few more hours before one of them falls asleep, the other shortly following. 

  
  
  



	5. Serenity

Quendolin took in the fresh, calming air of Moonglade as both she and Fraidaa dismounted the griffins that had flown them there. The natural, calming energies of the Druid lands calmed the inner beasts inside the two - causing them both to share a small smile. They both understood the feeling each were having.

“I should really come here more often…” Quen mused gently, looking around and offering a smile to a couple of the young druids running about the small village. Fraidaa shrugged, sparing a glance at the playful druids before focusing her attention on Quen

“I’m surprised you don’t already”

“I guess I like to keep myself busy too” Quen chuckled, and Fraidaa returned the gesture. Vincent barked, eyeing the lake below the village’s perch on the hill, causing the two women to smile “Shall we?”

The two walked through the town, just taking in the calmer atmosphere. There were some druids who were clearly back from Silithus - exhausted from trying to find a way to heal the earth, but most were calmly trying to hone their own magic or bask in the serenity Moonglade offered - much like them.

Following the old stone road, they walked down without much of a goal in mind - Vincent leading the charge. The trees cloaked the emerald landscape, the water a rich turquoise and flourishing with life, and Vincent took great delight in jumping in the moment he could. 

Quendolin and Fraidaa wandered over to a concealed spot that they had adopted many of the times that they had visited Moonglade, seating themselves on the grass at the bank of the lake. Quen removed the shoulderplates of her armour, laying back and looking up at the sunlight filtering through the leaves of the lofty rooftops of the forest.

“I’m sorry for being so nosy Fraidaa”

Fraidaa blinked, turning her attention from Vincent to Quen. “Huh?” 

The small albino turned her red eyes to look at Fraidaa, offering a slight smile 

“I shouldn’t push you so much, I know you don’t like it. I guess I’m just happy to see you happy, you know?” Quen let out a sigh and looked up at the trees again “It’s been on my mind since yesterday… I’m sorry for bringing it up”

“It’s fine” Fraidaa turned her head back toward the lake, closing her eyes in thought. Quen found it hard to tell whether it was through embarrassment or simply just in thought. “I know it comes from a place of caring”

Quen reached out her hand and gently gripped the arm that was closest to her, earning Fraidaa’s attention again, squeezing softly with a smile. Her twisting stomach settled, Quen got comfortable amongst the grass. She let herself relax completely, enjoying the company of her friend. She closed her eyes, listening to Vincent splashing in the water nearby, distant caws and calls of the wild animals of the area, taking in the calming scent of the forest--

Both Fraidaa and Quen jumped up from their relaxation at the loud splash as water managed to hit them both. Vincent was not the culprit, in fact he was even more soaked from the sudden splash than the two friends. 

“What in the name of the Light--”

Coughing interrupted them as a head popped out of the water; a night elf with bright purple hair took in a deep breath as she emerged from the lake, looking around and blinking owlishly.

“Whoops” the druid coughed with a smile “Sorry I must’ve fallen asleep in the tree again! My bad”

“... Again?” Fraidaa echoed, an annoyed look on her face as she wringed out her cape. Quen laughed a little

“Are you alright?” Quen asked, looking up at the high branches “That must’ve been quite a fall…”

“Yeah I’m good, I’m used to it at this point” the druid laughed, wading to shore and offering a smile. Quen’s eyes filtered to the scar on the left hand side of the druid’s face - a tear of nightmare and fel tainted the pink-tinted skin of the elf. Said eye was covered by an eyepatch, the other eye glowed with the white light that many night elves shared; her purple hair in pigtails which drooped from the weight of the water soaking her form. “I haven’t seen you two around here before”

“We’re not local” Fraidaa replied with a small frown, crossing her arms with a sigh

The druid offered a smile “Oh that makes sense. What’s your names?”

“Oh, I’m Quendolin. Quendolin Shayde - and this is Fraidaa Eld” Quen spoke up, looking up at the taller woman. The druid smiled at her

“Cute names, nice to meet you both” she wrung out her hair a bit as she nodded to Fraidaa; of which uncrossed her arms and nodded in greeting. “I’m Acanthria Stagmoon”

“Pleasure” Quen replied, her eyes softly shifting back to the scar again. Acanthria noticed, but she just offered a smile; seemingly not bothered by her stares.  
“So what you guys doing here-- Oh hello there” Acanthria looked down at Vincent, who stood next to the new druid and shook his fur free of the water. Acanthria laughed, shielding her face from his onslaught “Okay I deserved that, fair enough”

“We were trying to relax” Fraidaa replied simply, raising an eyebrow at Acanthria as she shrugged 

“Isn’t that why we all come here?” Acanthria mused, raising an eyebrow right back - although her tone showed she wasn’t challenging Fraidaa in the slightest. The Huntsmaster simply sighed

“Yeah well-” 

“It’s fine, I need to find a safer perch to nap anyway” Acanthria stretched with a yawn, already looking sleepy again “Gotta catch some sleep before Aelradine makes me do something” 

“Aelradine? As in the army of the light draenei?” Fraidaa rose an eyebrow as Quen looked between the two. Acanthria chuckled

“Hilarious and horny?”

“I wouldn’t call her hilarious but yeah, I think we’ve got the same one in mind”

“Yes she does seem to know everyone” Acanthria stretched again “Don’t know how she has the energy honestly”

“Me neither” that earned Fraidaa a laugh of agreement from Acanthria that seemed to settle the company to a more calm atmosphere. Quendolin smiled

“How do you two know each other?” Quen asked gently, and Acanthria shrugged

“We’re good friends; we work together from time to time” the night elf chuckled “she keeps me busy, otherwise I’d just stay in the Dream honestly”

“You make it sound like all you do is sleep”

“That’s pretty much my defining character trait” Acanthria offered a grin that caused Quen to laugh a little “Which reminds me, I need to get back to that. If you guys need anything while you’re here, feel free to wake me up”

Acanthria’s night elf form morphed into that of an Owlcat native to Val’sharah. The feathers tainted with a purple-burgundy colour, and a singular eye that glowed a soft white. Her head nodded to the two before trailing off into the foliage with a yawn. The two Gilnaens watched the Owlcat disappear, just standing there in silence for a moment before Fraidaa rubbed her temples

“What in the Light was that”

“I don’t know, but she seemed nice” Quen chuckled a little, sitting back down and shrugging as Fraidaa joined her. 

“As long as she doesn’t soak us through again, she can do whatever. I don’t want to be squashed by falling druids” Quen laughed at that, just leaning against the tree as Vincent settled down beside his master

In Val’sharah, bowed within the temple of Elune, Lashdiir quietly prayed at the altar of his Goddess. His mind was completely immersed in the company of Elune, a peace washing over him as he prayed over many of the things plaguing Azeroth. 

Heather Lightwing had walked into the temple for a moment of peace, her night-warrior eyes casting onto the knelt man at the altar. She’d met him from time to time, aware of the druid that often walked through the halls of Elune’s temple; and Lashdiir broke from his tranquility to open his eyes and greet her with a smile

“Miss Lightwing, it’s good to see you again”

“Ishnu’alah Lashdiir” Heather greeted calmly, her tired features regarding him as he turned to look at her fully

“You seem troubled” he observed “More so than the last time I saw you”

“A conversation for another time, I am afraid” Heather replied, not maliciously. Lashdiir simply bowed his head respectfully and offered a smile 

“Of course. If you ever need someone to lend an ear, I’m sure you can find me” offering another kind smile, he walked through the temple doors and bid her farewell. Heather didn’t move for a moment once he had left, quietly turning her head to watch him go. Quietly letting out a silent breath, she journeyed over to the altar as Lashdiir walked out of the temple grounds.

Lash surveyed the Nightmare-corrupted landscape before him, a solemn look on his features as he took a quiet breath. Distaste filled him, seeing the creatures that were still affected by the twisted dream world - the creatures that crippled his home, harmed his people, scarred his sister--

Calmly, he let out a deep sigh, closing his eyes and allowing the peace of Elune to wash over him again. “Mother Moon, I am guided by your hand…” he murmured under his breath, feeling at ease again as he shifted into the great, white sentinel owl that felt familiar to him - pushing off the ground with a few great strides of his wings, soaring through the trees of Val’sharah.

If he could smile with a beak, he would have as he came to land in the Druid’s grove, spotting his sister already asleep on one of the building’s roofs. Just as she used to before she left. He transformed, landing neatly on the roof and kneeling beside her curled up form. 

“Acanthria” he chuckled, gently squeezing her shoulder as she peered her eye open with a grin, “You should have told me you were coming to visit”

“It was a ‘spontaneous’ decision” she shrugged, sitting up with a yawn “Besides, walking through the dreamwalk made it a lot less taxing” 

“You don’t make spontaneous decisions Acanthria” he chuckled, patting her head as she just laughed in return “So what actually brings you here”

“Well…”

“Arcan where in ze name of ze light are you?!” Aelradine yelled from the portal, causing a lot of the druids to side eye the intruding paladin. Lashdiir rose an eyebrow 

“How did you even get her in here?”

“Pure talent” Acanthria yawned, shrugging. She put her fingers to her mouth, letting out a loud whistle and waving at Aelradine as the draenei turned her head. The lightforged draenei walked toward the building as the two Stagmoons climbed down off the roof. 

“Hey hot stuff” Aelradine winked at Lash as she approached, earning a chuckle from the taller man

“Ishnu’alah, Aelradine” he replied, a semi-amused look on his features as he looked at the draenei

“So why did we come here again?” Acanthria rubbed her eye and yawned as Aelradine huffed

“Well we’re going to visit ze Ailelumi’s, and being ze good friend I am decided to drop in a let you see your brother first” Aelradine gave a sly grin as Acanthria just looked at her tieredly

“You mean you woke me up so you could oogle at my brother?”

“What? Zat’s not what I said!” Aelradine huffed as Acanthria chuckled “I just tried to be nice; so what if I also like to see your hot brother too?”

“The thoughts appreciated Aelradine” Acanthria mused, turning her attention to Lash “How’s things since we last spoke?”

“Well. I just returned from the temple” he offered a smile as Acanthria returned it “Other than that, combatting the Nightmare is still an ongoing progress” Acanthria maintained her smile, Lash being the only one to notice the slight twitch of her mouth.

“You’ll find a way, you always do” Acanthria offered assurance calmly, stretching her arms above her head with a yawn

“Elune will guide us in this, I am certain” Lash sighed softly, patting her back “Can I interest you two in some food before you head off on your travels?”

“Can you? Of course you can~” Aelradine sung, earning another laugh from Acanthria as Lash just shook his head with an amused look

“Come” he chuckled, guiding his guests off to his home.


	6. Xaia

“Hiramyr please let me talk to her” Aviayr’s voice was firm but pleading, “she’s confused and alone- she needs someone right now”

“You don’t even know what she is, Aviayr.” Hiramyr bit back, he was in a foul mood- a dragon of all colours had stumbled into Stormheim, decorated scales and mutilated horns like none of the storm drakes had ever seen before. Hiramyr and Xilef had gone to scare it out of the zone but when the drakes fight or flight dice had rolled it landed firmly on fight. It shouldn’t have been a hard kill, even by himself Hiramyr was a huge and aggressive drake- with Xilef who was a competent fighter it should have been simple. Aviayr may have taken it upon herself to make it...difficult. 

She shrunk in on herself slightly “are you...still angry I intervened” 

Hiramyr pulled on the bandage he was wrapping around his arm a touch too aggressively  _ “Very” _

Aviayr putting herself between her brethren and the drake of many colours meant it was able to land a particularly aggressive hit on Hiramyr as he swerved to avoid hitting Avi. It hadn’t gone for Aviayr though, even though she was closer and smaller; it made the storm drake curious. In both sides seeming reluctance to hit her, Xilef and Hiramyr had been able to apprehend the drake without hurting her, she was currently bound in a cave while they figured out what to do with her. Hiramyr wanted it put out of its misery. Xilef wanted it sent away. Aviayr wanted...what did she want? 

“I just- she started tiredly “I just want to talk to her, find out what she is, where she came from; does she have someone she’s trying to get back to-”

“I’m not risking her killing you so you can have a casual chat” Hiramyr snapped, Aviayr crossed her arms,

“She avoided hitting me when we were flying. She doesn’t want to hurt me.”

“Aye, because she was so desperate to hit me.” he sighed “just do as I ask Aviayr, it’s been a long day.” Avi opened her mouth to reply when a bright light shot up, crawling up above the setting skyline to linger in the air before dispersing. Hiramyr cursed at the flare, 

“The little wolf pushes her luck” 

Aviayr’s face pulled into a frown, “You should go check on her” she offered “she or Quen could need help”

Hiramyr sighed deeply as he stood, “You will sit and you stay- am I clear?”

Avi nodded keenly “Oh yup- crystal clear, yes sir” 

He eyed her suspiciously before shifting into his dragon form and taking off in the direction of the flare. Aviayr counted to thirty before standing and shifting into her own smaller dragon form, swiftly she took off collecting edible berries and local flowers before heading over to the cave the drake was being held in, Xilef sat at the entrance, playing with a large stick which he seemed to be trying, and failing, to turn it into a spear. 

“Hi, Xilef!” Avi chimed cheerily causing the drake to jump, 

“Avi, don’t creep up on a guy like that!”

“Sorry” she smiled apologetically, “Hiram asked me to give the _ litklæði ormslíki  _ some food”

“He asked to bring her flowers too?” he counters pointing at the fjarnskaggl she’d tucked beneath her berries, Aviayr bit her lip,

“Yes?”

“Oh okay” Xilef shrugged cluelessly “yell if you need help” 

The cave was big, it had to be given that they’d brought the drake in its Dragonoid form, now, however, the woman had reverted to her humanoid form making the cave  _ too  _ big- empty and cold. Aviayr couldn’t see her face from the way she was sat, hunched over- curled in of herself but she could see six horns protruding from her head, the pink and blue skin decorating her side and scales of multiple colours scattered across her skin.

“Hello?” Avi asked with sudden uncertainty, the woman’s head jolts upwards, mismatched orbs of orange and blue staring into her. The fear and loneliness in them written as clearly as if the woman had put it on paper, suddenly Aviayr felt less afraid. “Hi-” she offered “I brought some food.”

The woman looked at her, then at the herbs and berries in her arms, then back again “You eat flowers in this part of the world?”

“O-oh no” Aviyr blushed “I just thought you- you might be nervous and uh, flowers might make you feel better” she put them on the ground beside the woman and knelt down a reasonable distance from her. The drake proded them curiously, 

“What are they?”

“Fjarnskaggl”

Her brows furrowed “Fyarnskackl?”

“Fjarnskaggl” she pronounced slowly “It’s okay if you can’t say it! Took me a while too” 

“I see.” she picked up a berry and put it in her mouth tentatively “These are sweet”

“Oh ain’t they just” Aviayr smiled “you should try them in a pie! We don’t get to cook too often here but sometimes Fraidaa and Quen bring back the ingredients and it’s really good” she gasped “gosh I haven’t even asked your name yet, I’m Aviayr”

“That’s pretty” A pause “Xaia. My name is Xaia”

“That’s pretty too! Prettier even!” she blushed slightly “I-uh sorry I’m not good with people.”

Xaia smiled slightly “Me neither” her expression put Aviayr at ease and she felt emboldened to ask-

“So uh- what type of dragon are you anyway?” she flustered “oh sorry if that sounds rude-”

“I don’t know what I am,” Xaia admits, her voice hollower than it was a minute ago as she gazes at her discoloured hand, “I think I might have been a Black dragon once but...I’m not sure anymore”

“Well you’re very colourful” she smiled “Like a painting”

Xaia’s cheeks coloured and she went to open her mouth when the sharp bark of Hiramyr’s familiar voice cut through, “Aviayr?!” he stormed into the cave and glowered at the pair, clicking his fingers and pointing at the ground next to him, 

“Guess I gotta go for now” she smiled awkwardly “I’ll try come back and say Hi though”

“I’d like that, Aviayr” 

The use of her name almost seemed to knock the air out of her, so much so that Avi just nodded, walking towards the entrance to meet a furious Hiramyr, 

“What about sit and stay was unclear to you?”

“Xaia”

“What?”

Aviayr smiled dreamily “Her name is Xaia.” 

  
  
  
  
  



	7. Reunion

They were all sat around Fraidaa’s dining table a day or so after Quendolin had met Anders. This wasn’t a usual occurrence, they simply weren’t the type of people who would all eat dinner together, too many arguments to be had, too many boundaries to overstep, too much work to be done. Both Hiramyr and Xilef did like to go home to Stormheim every few weeks as well and they were already staying longer than usual to help Quendolin gently pitch the idea of Fraidaa meeting her twin brother again. Well, Xilef was. Hiramyr had almost laughed in her face- she didn’t blame him, Fraidaa didn’t speak highly of her sibling. 

They were eating steak- well Fraidaa and Hiramyr were eating steak, Xilef and Quendolin were exchanging nervous glancing that had Hiramyr rolling his eyes. Fraidaa’s fork stops halfway to her mouth as her eyes shift across the table, 

“What.” she asks shortly, Quen breathes carefully, 

“Anders wrote to me the other day,” she says to which Fraidaa quirks her brow, 

“And you put the damned thing straight in the fireplace, right?”

“I- uh...well. No” she admits, watching her friend’s expression carefully. Generally, Fraidaa was more patient with Quen than most people, however, Anders was a touchy subject and Fraidaa wasn’t above angering quickly. “I thought it might be quicker to meet him, find out what he wants then get rid of him” 

Fraidaa's expression didn’t change, “and you thought this was a good idea without my consent?”

Hiramyr stood abruptly “Xilef help me wash the dishes” the younger drake nodded silently and followed his elder out the room, the kitchen was connected to the dining room so they’d be able to hear the whole conversation still, Quen wasn’t sure if that made her feel better or worse, 

“I don’t know, I didn’t want you to stress or get angry. I thought maybe if I met him, see if he has changed or not-“ 

“Has he?” 

“Mhmm no not really” Quen sighed recalling Anders dismissive and borderline sexist way of addressing her, “but he said something that bothered me”

“And that is?” 

“He mentioned...displeasure at...at your parents not replying to his letter”

Fraidaa paused, her grip on fork tightening slightly,

“Our parents are dead, have been for years.”

“I know that but-“ she sighed “I don’t think- I’m not sure he knows that. He spoke like they were still alive.” 

Fraidaa waited a moment before speaking “I guess that makes sense” she replies calmer than Quen thought she would “Vincent handled the funeral arrangements. If he didn’t bother to have Anders informed, it's not like he’d have any other way of knowing.” She put a piece of steak in her mouth and chewed it a tad aggressively, “Did you tell him?”

“W-what? No! That’s not my place at all- I- I basically just avoided his questions the whole time- it was all quite telling of his personality really.”

“So he’s still a shithead”

“Essentially, yes” 

“Then let him drown in his damned ignorance. He can die wondering why mother and father never wrote back for all I care”

Quendolin’s expression tensed “You don’t mean that”

“I do. He left me to put my parents in the ground alone- hell if Vincent hadn’t gone with his men to collect their bodies my parents would have rotted in their home. Perhaps they wouldn’t have had to rot at all if Anders had been there to help defend them- I don’t know. What I do know is he’s as dead to me as they are- leave it at that.”

“But-”

“Leave it.” 

Quendolin closed her mouth and cast her gaze down, Fraidaa sighed deeply “I know why you did what you did, I can respect it. But it ends here- understand?”

“I do.” She fidgeted slightly “Sorry if I stuck my nose in things”

“It’s fine.'' Her tone suggested honesty and Quen relaxed a fraction. “How’d the boys find out?”

“I just asked them to come to get me if I was gone longer than an hour, you know just in case”

“Probably a good call, which one found you?”

“Xilef, probably for the best- I think Hiramyr might have stomped the man had he met him-”

“And Xilef didn’t?”

“No!” Xilef called from the kitchen, “I can kick a jackass no problem but Quendolin said I should try to play nice”

“You called him a traitor when he tried to shake your hand, Xilef” Quendolin pointed out to which she could practically hear the boy shrug, Fraidaa laughed gently 

“Aye well, the lads not wrong” 

“See! I did good right, Fraides?”

“This time you did, Xilef.”

“Please don’t encourage his endlessly rowdy behaviour” Hiramyr petitioned sternly as he reentered the room, 

“Don’t be a git, Hiram” Xilef glared, 

“Yeah Hiramyr, don’t be a git” Fraidaa smirked, the lightest amount of playfulness curling around her tone, “before I forget, I have Alliance work to do tomorrow.”

“What kind of work?” Quendolin asked, 

“Collection, the Dark Iron shamans want a stone tablet lost in the regions around Ironforge to potentially counter some of the elements the Zandalari might use if they wish to retaliate to throw peace to the wind and retaliate our invasion from a few months ago” 

“How dare Queen Talanji want to avenge her father’s murder” Hiramyr muttered sarcastically, Fraidaa glared at him, 

“I’m not playing the moral high-ground game with you today, Hiramyr- I’m just doing what my faction asks of me” 

“You can do whatever you’d like Ms Eld” 

“I will” Fraidaa huffs and crosses her arms, “Xilef said he’d help”

“Of course he did” the older man casts Xilef a pointed stare, “I don’t appreciate you trying to indoctrinate him into the Alliance behind my back”

“Behind your back would be if I didn’t tell you, which I did- besides he offered to play taxi, I’m not sending him into active combat” 

His pointed look shifted from Xilef to her and she tilted her head, “If you’re still unsure I have the plans in my pack upstairs, you can come by and look at them later”

Hiramyr’s pointed expression almost immediately shifted into one of minor amusement, “I will, it best be very convincing Ms Eld” 

“You know how thorough I can be, Hiramyr” 

-

It was later into the evening now, panting slightly, Fraidaa turned on her side and let out a quiet but contented hum. Hiramyr mimicked her actions, rolling onto his side and curling a hand around her waist and pressing kisses to her shoulder, “Wish I’d known when we first met all it takes to dose that fiery temper of yours was to throw you on all fours and have my way with you- might have been able to skip at least a years worth of arguments if I had” 

Fraidaa threw her elbow back to catch him in the rib, “if you’d done that you would have been having your way with me with a wooden cock”

He huffed and slapped her ass playfully, leaning over to catch her lips in a chaste kiss, “You’re not too upset with Miss Shayde I hope”

“I’m not” she shifted up and collected a loose shirt from her wardrobe and pulled it on before picking Hiramyr’s pants from the floor and throwing them at him, “out” 

He quirked a brow, “You’re kicking me out? I’m hurt, Miss Eld, I was under the impression our arrangement was more permanent”

“It is” she confirmed perhaps a little too defensively, “but if you start sleeping in here even someone as slow as Xilef will start suspecting something” 

“You overestimate how much he uses that singular brain cell of his” he shifts to sit on the edge of the bed and reaches out to grip the sides of her shirt, pulling her to stand between his legs “are you certain you’re not just kicking me out to avoid me making comment on your brother?” 

“No. I’m quite certain you could care less about my brother” 

“Aye, but I’m more concerned with how you feel about him” 

“I think he’s a bloody twat. Does that lay your concern to rest?” 

“You know your Gilnean accent comes out when you’re unsure about something” he pulls her a touch closer “you can talk about it to me Fraidaa. No judgement”

She sighs and seems to consider it for a moment before asking “Do you have siblings?” 

He allowed the conversation derail and shrugged “No full siblings, probably some half-siblings I never met” 

“Father or mother’s side?” 

“Would have been on my Father's side, I was the only one who survived my clutch- it made my mother… attentive to me. She never bothered having more children” 

“Your father wasn’t around then?” 

“Might have been, I don’t know who he was. Could have been a relative of Nithogg- or Nithogg himself really” 

Fraidaa frowned “Is that common with dragons?” 

“Some. In Storm Drakes, there normally is a Patriarch and Matriarch who are the main breeders but children are not exclusive to them. My mother for example was not a Matriarch.”

“But your father could have been the Patriarch?” 

“Aye” 

She suddenly had a rather awful thought “You know Alliance Heroes killed Nithogg- myself being one of them. Does that bother you?” 

“No, little wolf it doesn’t” he assured gently “be my father or not Nithogg was not a good creature- Stormheim is better for his death” 

For a moment, Fraidaa was almost jealous by how casually he could discuss family, be it negative or other “And none of all that bothers you?” 

He chuckled “what gives you that impression Miss Eld?” His expression mellowed “Fraidaa I’m well over 10,000 years old, my mother has been dead for at least 6,000 of those, I’ve had hundred of mortal life times to get over who my father was or wasn’t, the siblings I do or don’t have, the mother who might have hidden everything from me or told me the truth. You’ve not even had a fraction of that time, it’s alright to question yourself- to want to question others-“ 

“I don’t want to ask Anders anything-“ 

“-don’t you?” He met Fraidaa’s accusing stare with ease, “they don’t have to be nice questions Fraidaa and whatever he says you don’t have to like the answer. But put it this way; I’m fortunate I get time to get over the questions I didn’t ask, you might not get that luxury” Something about the sentence made her frown, he caught the expression and squeezed her hips slightly “what?” 

“I just-“ she huffed “I don’t know, I guess I just had a thought. No matter how much you claim to care about me or where our relationship goes- I’ll just be a speck in your life, one that you probably won’t even think about in the next thousand years or so.” She averted her gaze “It’s just a little sad to think about” 

He huffed with such palpable amusement she turned back to look at him “so you do feel things other than anger, fancy that-“ he chuckled gently as he caught her batting hand “-I don’t know what to suggest, Fraidaa. Suicide pact?”

“Hiramyr” amusement creeping into her expression, “I’m trying to be honest with you” 

“I know and I appreciate it” he moved to kiss her breast bone, down to her stomach as he tugged at her shirt- “think about what we’ve talked about, alright?” 

“I will” she promised before pulling the chain on his beard gently “alright you’ve already been in here past the point of suspicious, any longer and Xilef will start to apply that singular brain cell” 

Despite her words, he keeps tugging up her shirt and she makes no real moves to stop him “I was reading your map, Miss Eld” he started pressing kisses to the skin as it became available to him, “very detailed, took me hours” 

“I’m pleased you liked the report, is it enough to let Xilef come along for the job?”

“It might be, I’ll probably have to read it once or twice more before I can be certain” he wrapped his arms around her middle, and rolled so she fell onto the bed beneath him “and it’s ciphered too? Miss Eld you are cruel” 

“He’s not going to believe I’m that mean” Fraidaa huffed, 

“We’ve watched you tear a man in half with your bare hands, we are quite aware you possess a mean streak” he smirked and leaned back slightly, “speaking of tearing things in half-“ he laughed as he caught her ankle before she could kick him, 

“Oaf” she grumbled with no real malice,

“Little wolf” he countered with a smile as he caught her lips in his

  
  


* * *

  
  


Fraidaa thought about what Hiramyr said, obsessively in fact- to the point where it annoyed her. It’s not like she wasn’t busy and didn’t have more important things occupying her mind, she’d spent the next day after the talk getting the tablet as agreed, she went with Xilef and Hiramyr even volunteered to get the other half with Quen. The day after Genn asked for assistance in a family matter; Tess wanted to be a Worgen - light help them- she’d even suggested she’d have Fraidaa bite her. The taller woman had nearly left the room at the suggestion. She’d helped Tess come to terms with what it meant to be Gilnean- going through Gilneas back when it’d been invaded all those years ago- it was hard for both of them to relive. Even more so when she saw Tess fail to save Liam, the grief of losing her sibling before her made Fraidaa’s thoughts churn more violently. Afterwards Individually, Mia, Genn and Tess asked her if she was feeling okay, she merely claimed seeing Gilneas again bothered her more than she thought it would, Mia had kissed her cheek, Tess had hugged her tightly and thanked her for being with her through it, Genn had clapped a large hand on her shoulder and told her to come to find him if she wanted to talk about it. She’d smiled tightly and thanked them before taking her leave. 

The day afterwards was when she was finally caught out. Shaw had need of her intimidation tactics and brute force in a job- it was easy enough and normally she and Shaw kept talking to a minimum when she helped him with odd jobs, she might have given away her annoyance when she asked if he needed her because couldn’t reach the top shelf of the SI:7 filing cabinet. 

“If I wanted snide banter, Eld I’d have invited Fairwind,” he spoke curtly, he’d quirked a brow as she’d repressed a growl and folded her arms over her chest. They completed the rest of the job, (that wasn’t quite as simple of reaching the top of the SI:7 shelf), in tense silence. 

“Alright,” he sighed shortly as he cleaned off his dagger, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Fraidaa offered as flatly as she could, Mathias shot her a hard stare, 

“You’re just keeping your canine sharp for the fun of it?” 

“If I wanted dry wit, Shaw I’d have gone got a drink with Fairwind” she snapped mimicking his comment earlier, “You wanted intimidation tactics.”

“Jobs done, Eld. Put the fangs and claws away.” 

Light help her, she’d been trying to put them away for the better part of two hours now but the longer the days went on, the more on edge she felt, the harder it was for her to control her transformations. She imagined by the end of the day she’d probably be unable to get out of her complete Worgen form and that just made her angrier. Mathias shook his head at her, 

“I always thought you’d be a good operative if it wasn’t for that obnoxious temper, makes reading you child's play” his expression relaxed slightly, the condescending look tapering his brow easing, “Did you and Hiramyr argue about something?”

“No, no” Fraidaa offered “He’s been fine- we’ve been fine.” 

Shaw watched her closely, clearly waiting for an explanation, Fraidaa sighed deeply, 

“My brother has been trying to get in contact with me.” 

“Anders? Is he after something?”

“I don’t know, maybe?” she pinched the bridge of her nose and willed away her annoyance, “I think he just wants to ask questions; home, jobs, parents- that sort of shit”

“Sounds simple enough.”

“Not with him, I don’t- I just-” she grunts in frustration, “He makes me so angry, I don’t trust myself not to-” she made strangling motions with her hands, Shaw huffed in a way that almost suggested amusement, 

“Then don’t see him and avoid the issue entirely”

She nods “Aye that's what I'm going to do.” she nods as if trying to convince herself, Shaw looks at her exasperatedly and sighed, 

“If you want to meet him Fraidaa and you don’t trust yourself- I can perhaps find myself in the area.” 

She blinked in surprise “Really? You don’t have anything better to do?”

He shrugged “I promised Fairwind a drink. If you meet Anders at the Pig and Whistle, I’ll make sure myself and Flynn are in proximity if you become...aggressive.” 

Almost immediately Fraidaa felt her claws and fangs disappear, surely Mathias would be able to stop her if she felt the sudden need to murder her brother… “That would mean more than I can say” she admitted through a breath of relief, he smiled almost awkwardly, 

“I still owe you for that...situation during the legions invasion.”

She nodded more enthusiastically than her character would normally allow but right now she didn’t particularly care, “Then yes, please.” she reached out slowly and put a hand on his elbow, “Thank you”. Shaw pat her hand fondly before promptly brushing it off him, 

“I would have found myself in a bar with Fairwind at some given point anyway. Might as well make myself useful”

-

Fraidaa sat cross-armed leaning back in her chair in the pig and whistle thirty minutes after the agreed time trying to not let her anger get the better of her at Anders' lack of punctuality. She’d spotted Fairwind and Shaw enter the bar about forty-five minutes ago, Flynn had also seen her, sending an exaggerated wave in her direction before making obscene gestures with his fingers and pointing to Shaw who’d swatted his shoulder in response. That’d gotten a small laugh out of her and helped mellow her mood, but as time dragged on her temper returned and just as she was about to give up and pull up a chair to Flynn and Mathias’ table a smell that made her feel almost nostalgic swarmed her senses as a shadow cast over her table-

“Sorry, sorry” Anders’ started half-hearted apologising before he’d even sat down- his voice hadn’t changed at all- “I thought the pig and whistle was the other side of the city- thought it was named after a polymorph joke and I went straight to the mages quarter. Don’t think I’ll ever wrap my head around this damned city-” 

The way he spoke so casually as though it’d been a few days since they spoke and not a few years made Fraidaa grit her teeth and will herself stay calm. She placed her arms on the table and sat up straight. “You could have asked the guards.”

He huffed as he slumped down in his chair and waved the waitress over “Truth be told I was so damned sure I was right the idea of asking the guard didn’t even cross my mind” he stopped as the waitress came over and smiled widely as her, ordering two ales with a surprising lack of flirtation before turning back to Fraidaa, his smile widening, 

“It is good to see you  _ Tvenr-syster” _

Unlike her, Anders had culled his vrykul accent in favour of a Gilnean one as soon as he hit his teenage years, still, his pronunciation of the language their father had taught them remained perfect; she would have smiled back at him had she not been so angry, __

“And you,  _ Tvenr-brodir _ .”

“You kept the accent I see” 

“Why shouldn’t I.”

“Can’t argue with that. I’m sure Father’s very proud”  Fraidaa kept her expression neutral as Anders gave her the once over “You’ve aged”

“It’s been about eight years, of course, I’ve aged. So’ve you.”

“I’ve not” he replied with an exaggerated gasp, “well expect my beard I guess- but I’ll have you know there isn’t a grey hair to be found in it” he brushed down his mutton-chops for effect before his eyes fell onto her left hand, 

“Swear you had five fingers on there last we spoke” 

Her own eyes fell to her hand despite knowing what it looked like, “I lost two, recently.” she spoke eveningly, consciously trying not to flex her remaining fingers, 

“I had heard you’d been busy in my absence, _ Commander” _

She huffed without humour at that, picking up the ale that had been left in front of her and drinking it pointedly “so you have been keeping up with my record then.”

“Not particularly.” he said casually enough to probably be the truth “but during the Draenor invasion I kept hearing  _ Commander Eld _ being tossed around by the masses and I’m sure as helheim not a commander so I figured my twin sister had seen a promotion.” 

“So that’s it? You know nothing else?”

“Basically. Made a point to stay out of politics and strife. Succeeded for the most part; excluding the unavoidable shit like say the Legion and the tree burning. Nasty business.” 

She felt her anger return with a vengeance, “Is that what this is for then? Did you tire of ignorance?”

He must have noticed her mood decline because he shuffled slightly “Aye, felt it about time I asked about home. Figure out how to make my parent talk to me again”

Fraidaa subconsciously grit her teeth and willed to keep her fangs away “I don’t think there is anything you could do to make them talk now” 

“Dramatic much? Did you and that Godfrey fellow smear my name that well after I left? I knew the old man had venom in him but well-” he smirked slightly “I suppose you’d know all about that wouldn’t you? You broke up I take it? Given you’re not wearing the ring.” 

Her claws were out and digging into the table before she could stop but then Anders seemed so focused on her expression it passed his notice, she felt her jaw tremor when she opened her mouth to speak, her voice laced with anger, “He died.” 

If her brother had been a decent man he might have apologised, but tragically it seemed the man was still a twat and instead he offered an almost sympathetic look, “Real shame that. Suppose that’s what happens when you go for the older ones though.” 

Fraidaa’s legs pushed her to stand before she even thought about it, moving to collar the man before a firm hand clapped down on her shoulder and pushed her back down. “Move over, Eld.” Shaw spoke with indifference, “We’re joining your table” 

“What happened to yours?” she snapped, the desire to kill the man in front of her still present, 

“Agreed to roll a dice with a pair of Dwarves for it.” Flynn supplied helpfully, “The dice were rigged I tell you”

“You could have not agreed to roll in the first place” Shaw spoke without any actual venom, 

“Mate, what kind of Sailor would I be if I was afraid of a game of dice” he pulled a chair up next to Anders and thrust a hand out to him, “Captain Flynn Fairwind,” he introduced to which Anders blinked before taking his hand, 

“Anders Eld.” 

“No fancy title with that? Thought that was an alliance must” 

“No, no. I’m not enlisted in the army” he looked over to Shaw, “It's good to see you again, Master Shaw” 

“Again?” Fraidaa fixed Mathias with an exaggerated look to which he shrugged, 

“He helped my escape from Suramar” 

“I didn’t see him when we killed Detheroc.” 

“I was covering the rear” Anders defended “that and I don’t know Stormwind, sneaking through here is a nightmare” 

Fraidaa rolled her eyes and went back to her drink, “right.” She felt Shaw’s eyes watch her for a moment probably for read of her expression before she felt his boot tap against hers in as much comfort as she’d get from the man. She looked at him and he quirked a brow in a way that was his way of asking if she wished to leave, she appreciated the thought and smiled rather weakly at him. 

“I must ask” Anders starts suddenly, “how you two know each other.” He was rather bristled and Fraidaa knew what he was implying, it infuriated her again; the idea that he couldn’t even witness her smile at a man without butting his nose in- 

“I dare say it’s none of your business” Fraidaa spoke with equal mirth “I’m bored of small talk, Anders. Tell me why you're here so you can go back to whether you’ve spent your years skulking”

Anders ice eyes shifted to regard her before he huffed “I’ve told you what I want Fraidaa, I want to get in contact with mother and father”

“You fucking idiot- they’re  _ dead _ ” Fraidaa snapped, pushing to her feet and slamming her hands on the table, she saw Fairwind exchange a nervous glance with Shaw but she ignored it. Anders’ expression visibly twitched, 

“How.”

She made an unkind sound “You must have heard the shit that affected Gilneas after you left, take a guess”

“I made a point of staying away from news involving Gilneas” 

_ “‘I made a point of staying away from news involving Gilneas’ _ ” Fraidaa repeated quietly “then let me enlighten you on what you missed”

She felt a firm hand on her arm, “Fraidaa-“ Mathias started but she just shunted him as hard as she could and pointed an accusing finger 

“Days after you left, the wolf cult invaded our home and murdered our parents-“ she grabbed the table and threw it to the side and stalked closer to her brother “our mother died opening the door believing it was you coming home-“ Anders scrabbled to his feet and took a step back but she kept pressing forward “these wolf men then infected our people and pushed us out of our home-” she could feel her claws and fangs growing and her height increasing “I was cursed and left to rot  _ alone _ before my countryman found me, then the damned forsaken invaded, the land collapsed-“ she could hear Mathias calling to her and see Anders reach for her rapier, she slapped the weapon from his hands “-Greymane was infected, Godfrey killed him self, Liam was murder by Sylvannas-“ she grabbed Anders by his neck and slammed him against the table “-and you didn’t even have the decency to care, you  _ bastard _ ” she threw him as hard as could into the wall, she was fully transformed, she must have been because she felt bigger and stronger and  _ angrier _ . 

_ Kill him. Go for the throat.  _

She bared her teeth and went for the bite, sudden feeling a grip on her neck throw her a few steps back and a sharp pain against her arm, Flynn stood with his cutlasses draw in front of Anders and Shaw stood with a single dagger draw in front of him, 

“Eld, you need to calm down” he spoke with more control than he had any right to have, Fraidaa felt herself sway- 

**_“Calm down?!_ ** ” She snarled “ **_I want him dead_ ** ”

“No, you don’t. You’re letting your anger speak for you-“ 

“Get out of way Shaw or I’ll kill you and Fairwind first” she took a step and stumbled slightly, the sting on her arm becoming numb, 

Shaw shrugged “Unless you plan to kill us in the next 30 seconds I suggest you rethink” 

Somewhere in her animalistic rage, something clicked, damn him- he’d poisoned her! She tried to step but her legs gave out under her, her head and arms becoming heavy, Shaw knelt a safe distance in front of her, “I’m sorry Fraidaa.” He offered almost softly, “you’ll thank me later” 

Deep in her mind as her vision went blank, she knew he was right. 

  
  


-

  
  


She awoke in a dark room, feeling cold and undignified. She pushed herself up and realised she was in her room, laying in her humanoid form on her bed. “It went well then?” 

The deep voice made her jump as she looked over to the chair by the window, Hiramyr was watching the sky thoughtfully, arm leaning against the window sill 

, Fraidaa sighed looking at her hands, 

“I think I tried to kill him”

His good eye shifted to regard her, “he probably deserved it” 

She didn’t respond to that, instead, she stood and looked out the window, the white lady bright in the sky- 

She felt Hiramyr tug at her waist, encouraging her to perch on his knee, “You had me worried when the spy brought you back, unconscious in the pirates arms. Lucky the man has a silver tongue or else I would have gutted him and hung his boyfriend with his innards.” 

The woman huffed “Glad you didn’t, I’d probably be in stocks without Shaw's intervention”

“Aye, would have been inconvenient to burn Stormwind down to free you” he guffawed at her sharp elbow in his rib before patting her knee “what happened, little wolf” 

A pause

“I got angry”

He huffed “nothing new then?” 

“No, I guess not” 

She could feel his good eye watch her carefully for a few seconds before he hummed thoughtfully, and pressed a kiss to her shoulder, 

“The cunt will stay away now at least” 

“Aye, he got his answers. He’ll stay away”

“Good. That was what you wanted, yes?” 

Another pause. This one longer.

“Yes. It is” 

“Good.”

She stared at the white lady willing herself to feel anything other than frustration. It must have shown on her face that it didn’t work because Hiramyr sighed loudly before jolting her off his knee with all the grace and care she’d come to expect from the man. Which was to say none.

“Come on, to bed with you. Shaw said it’d take the poison a few hours to shift from your system. You’ll feel like shit till then, might as well sleep.”

She allowed herself to be shoved onto the mattress as she took the man's wrist, “lay with me?” 

He smirked, showing the sharpness of his canines “Of course” 

He crawled into the bed with her, his height meaning his feet were hanging of the edge but for once he didn’t complain, “anything I can do to help you sleep”

Fraidaa hummed, resting her head against his bicep “tell me the tale of Hati and Skoll again”

He hummed in approval, the noise vibrating in his chest. Fraidaa closed her eyes feeling sleep already beckoning her again as she listens to the deep tremor of her lover's voice, “Hati and Skoll served faithfully as the companions on Thorim-“ 

  
  


  
  
  
  



End file.
